Ragna the Bloodedge VS. Soma Cruz
Introduction Zephyr: They may be the incarnations of evil, but that doesn't stop them from using their powers for good! Evan: Soma Cruz, the reincarnation of Dracula... Elr0nd: And Ragna, the Bloodedge. Alana: I'm Alana, That's Elr0nd, That's Zephyr, and he's Evan. Evan: And it is our job to analyze both the strengths and weaknesses of these fighters to see who would win... All: A DEATH BATTLE! Soma Cruz Zephyr: aww yeah, castlevania! One of my favorite franchises ever! Evan: Count Vladimir Tepes Dracula. A legend among horror stories of old, the Lord of vampires is truly a powerful adversary. Only the strongest of hunters, the prestigious Belmont clan, has ever stood a chance against him. Elr0nd: Bullshit. Gram, Alucard, Sypha. Evan: ...under normal circumstances. Alana: needless to say, Dracula was strong, and quite the tyrant for almost a century. And then, in 1999... Evan: Dracula finally met his end, thanks to the likes of Julius Belmont. Zephyr: and good riddance, because after he died, his power passed into Soma Cruz. Alana: Soma is the reincarnation of Dracula, but don't let that fool you. He's actually one of the good guys! Zephyr: yep. He actively resists the darkness inside him, and throughout his games, never lets it take hold. But that doesn't mean he's weak, not by a long shot! Elr0nd: moron. Did you expect him to be? He can damage giant golems by punching then, swing around giant weapons without tiring, and Go head-to-head with Julius Belmont. A.k.a. the most badasserest Belmont of them all. Evan: That is not a word. Elr0nd: it is now. Alana: also, he's fast. like, really fast. His punches can break the sound barrier, and he moves fast enough to leave afterimages behind him. So, that means he can move at about 700 miles per hour, and that's if we lowball it. Zephyr: And while being able to kill things is fun, being durable helps too, and that's something Soma has quite a bit of. Giant monsters? Grenades to the face? Bitch, please. Zephyr: But hey, what's a fighter without weapons? Elr0nd: Sanji. Zephyr: hm... touche. But still! Soma has a lot of weapons to work with here. The Claimh Solais- Evan: -Pronounced "Cleave Solish"- Zephyr: Yeah, that. Basically, it's a giant greatsword bigger than Soma himself, that can have its length doubled by using mana. Alana: He also took Death's scythe from him when he killed... Death. How do you even do that? Elr0nd: Castlevania logic, everybody! But hey, at least it can summon giant skulls! Evan: *Sigh* Like myself, Soma wields the gungnir, a legendary spear that can pierce through anything. It can also be charged to shoot a devastating electric beam. Elr0nd: But who needs range when you can Bash things to death with the Kaiser Knuckles? The description in Aria of Sorrow even says that it gives Soma the punching power of a GOD. Alana: Because Despite having speed, there are other, stronger weapons. Like Mjollnir. Yeah, this weapon needs no introduction. Zephyr: Moving on to the weapon I main, the Muramasa is a demonic blade that can slash three times for the price of one, though he needs mana to do it. It also "hungers for blood", proving once again that Masamune is light, and Muramasa is Dark. Elr0nd: I believe that you're missing something. Something... very important... *gazing lustfully at a picture of a Rocket Launcher* Evan: Oh? And what would that- oh... Elr0nd: ROCKET LAUNCHER! This thing shoots rockets that blow through everything in their path! What's the downside, you may ask? NOTHING! Alana: It's standard. It doesn't have any enhancements or magic of any sort. Elr0nd: Well, that may be true... Zephyr: The Silver gun shoots holy bullets, and is obviously powerful enough to do serious damage to monsters. Probably a 9mm, by looking at it. Just a though- HOLY SHIT VALMANWAY! Evan: What an... odd name for a blade. However, despite that, the Valmanway is likely Soma's most effective weapon, as it swings many times in mere moments, and forms a protective vortex of wind blades around him. Zephyr: Ha, sounds like my kind of sword! Look forward to that next time we fight! Evan: Oh dear... Alana: Are any of you gonna remember his armor? He wears Dracula's own suit, which boosts all his stats, and the Chaos Ring, which regenerates his magic by drawing from Chaos. Wait... but he killed Chaos... Elr0nd: CASTLEVANIA LOGIC! Zephyr: Okay, now we're getting into the meat of it. Long story short, Soma received some of Dracula's power, and gained the power of dominance. Should he kill an enemy, he can capture its soul and use it as a weapon. Evan: These souls are organized into four categories. Bullet souls are used for attacking, Guardian souls are used for defending, Enchantment souls are used for support, and Ability souls are used for noncombat maneuvers. Alana: Like breathing underwater! Elr0nd: Bullet souls make up most of his arsenal, and boy, does he have a lot of them! He can summon locusts, and throw exploding punches! Or, you know, he can just throw explosive bombs. Color me impressed. Alana: Ha! Since when have YOU been impressed? Zephyr: Okay, I'm calling em' out on this one. Soma has MY soul, and stops time with it...? I control space, not time!! Evan: This game came out in 2005. YOU existed in Zephyrosomega's mind since 2008. Zephyr: Aw... Elr0nd: Ripoff. Zephyr: Hey, he thought YOU up to be a gilgamesh ripoff! Elr0nd: OKAY, YOU WANNA GO! LET'S GO! *Zephyr and Elr0nd vanish into thin air* Alana: Oh, those two! Evan: Anyway... As they fight, let us handle the analysis. Demon Lord can shoot a small meteor, similar to Dracula's attack. Durga throws katanas that he summons, Flame demon shoots fireballs, and the Frozen shade shoots a wave of ice. Alana: I like it! Also, Soma has souls of armor demons, and can summon their weapons. Axes, Bladed yoyos, a giant greataxe! You name it, he's got a soul for it. Evan: However, do not mistake those for being his strongest attacks. Legion summons mechanical tentacles that shoot beams of energy- Alana: Where was that thing in Dawn of Sorrow!? Evan: I have no idea. Lightning doll and Rycuda both channel lightning from Soma's fingertips, much like our combatants last episode, and in keeping with vampire lore, his succubus soul lets him drain blood by biting others. Alana: There are others, but most of them aren't too important, and we were too lazy anyway. Evan: now, what did I tell you about skipping details? It makes you look lazy and unprofessional! Alana: you're mean! I'm gonna tell Zephyr as soon as he beats up Michy! Evan: *sigh* anyway... Soma focuses on more than pure damage, despite his large arsenal of bullet souls. When he needs a timely guard or last-second boost, he uses the blue Guardian Souls, which grant him the ability to summon creatures to his aid. Alana: unless that creature's name is Gergoth! Evan: ...yes, unless that creature is Gergoth. However! The Big Golem soul summons a golden behind him that punches enemies that approach too close. Alana: well, more the floating upper half of a golden, but whatevs! Evan: Buer creates a ring of fire around Soma to defend him, Final guard grants him an impenetrable shield, and the Flying Armor allows Soma to glide and jump higher. Alana: kinda useless, considering he can just turn into a bat and fly. Evan: touche. Alana: He also has the Manticore soul, which grows him a stinging tail... ow... and because f*ck logic, he also had the soul of Death, which summons those annoying little sickles. Damn that guy! Evan: such rude language from a lady. Alana: Evan, I may be a loli, but I'm still a teenager! Evan: your point? Alana: but hey, sometimes Soma needs a special stat set, and that's where enchanted souls come in! Evan: Indeed. He has souls for increasing intelligence, strength, defense, and luck, as well as the creature and giant worm souls, which regenerate Soma's health over time. Alana: there's also a DIFFERENT succubus soul that lets Soma absorb health from attacks, and... that's about it. There are other souls, but they're weaker and wouldn't matter here anyway. Alana: good thing Michy isn't here right now, cause he would probably bash the fact that these gray souls here are for noncombat. Evan: well, they can be used somewhat for combat, but are not very effective. Alana: Comet kicks, slides, superjumps, breathing underwater... yeah, not too much helpful, though Soma can equip all of them at once. So that's helpful. Evan: However, just because Soma resists Dracula's temptations does not mean that he is immune to them. If he is sufficiently angered, the spirit of Dracula can take over. Alana: and as Dracula- *the station shakes violently, and dust trickles down from the ceiling* Alana: UGH. What are those idiots up to now!? Evan: I only wish I knew... Alana: anyway... as Dracula, His arsenal is only increased. Pyromancy and lightning bolts are a must have, as is his signature teleporting move. Evan: Truly the bane of many gamers. Additionally, Dracula can summon bats, a move much deadlier than it sounds, and heal himself by draining the blood of others. Alana: too bad it makes him a sadist. Reminds me of Ex-Death! Evan: *exasperated* Alana, please. Not after what happened last episode. Alana: yeah yeah, we remember. Alana: and here we are. As powerful as Soma is, he does have a few weaknesses, like being headstrong and stubborn. Anyone notice how a lot of protagonists are like that? Evan: it does seem to be a popular trope. Apart from that, Soma can only use so many souls at a time, and they are often weaker than his melee weapons. Alana: also, there's the whole thing with Dracula, but hey! If those are his only weaknesses, Soma is easily the strongest hero in Castlevania! Ragna The Bloodedge Elr0nd: Oh, Fun! We get to talk about the BlazBlue timeline now! Zephyr, back in his Ragna cosplay: Step back everyone, I'm an expert on this series! Elr0nd: Weeb. Zephyr: Casual. Evan: *Sigh* It is true that Zephyr is knowledgeable on the timeline... proceed. Zephyr: alright. So, you all know the tale. Oppressive governments, magicpunk society, more anime tropes than Misty Chronexia can count, the world of Blazblue is just about the best thing to grace the internet. As is its protagonist, and one of my personal heroes, Ragna. Alana: *Shaking her head, holding a palm to it* Figures he would be your personal hero, after all that destruction... Zephyr: *ignoring Alana* So, as a child, Ragna and his siblings were experimented on by your average evil science organization. And no, we don't know what they were doing. But, thanks to this old-man-cat-hero-thing named Jubei, they escaped and began living in a secluded church. Evan: How... symbolic. Zephyr: BUT, then sister Saya here got sick with... Plotitis. No one kno- Elr0nd: Shaddap! Screwattack already used that joke, remember!? Zephyr: Right, right.... Hm... gotta get original material. Anyway, Ragna's little brother Jin got pissed that he was spending more time with his potentially dying sister than with him, so he did what any sensible kid would do! He sat down with Ragna and talked out his differences. *The entire room goes silent with an awkward pause, then all four hosts burst out into laughter. Except Evan. Evan just grins slightly.* Elr0nd: HAHAHA, AS IF! Evan: Ah, that would have made their lives much more bearable. Alana: If only! Instead, Rule 63 Medusa Gorgon showed up- Zephyr: *Ragna impression* Teerumiii.... Evan: Yuki Terumi appeared out of seemingly nowhere, and convinced Jin to cut off Ragna's arm and impale him through the heart. They then took Saya and left Ragna for dead. Zephyr: He would be, had it not been for the most adorable gothloli in all of existence- *Alana slaps Zephyr across the face* Alana: *In her most innocent and childlike voice* Finish that sentence,Zephy.' '''See what happens. Zephyr: uh... N-no thanks... Anyway... Rachel Alucard appeared out of nowhere and conjured him up a new arm. One that just so happened to be part of the Azure Grimoire, but we'll get into that later. After training with Jubei who appeared ALSO out of nowhere - anyone noticing a pattern here?- , he set out to wreck jin and terumi and find his sister. Fun. Elr0nd: But hey, at least he got some serious buffs! Really, what did that vampire put in his arm, Magic Steroids? Evan: ...Actually, you are not far off. Zephyr: Seithr. Basically evil radiation. Anyway, Ragna is STRONG. He can lift and throw cars like the hulk, Stagger city-destroying monsters like Take-Mikuzachi, and take on the likes of Terumi in melee combat. And you don't just "take on" Yuki Terumi in melee combat. Alana: Don't forget his speed. He dodged Rachel's sky-to-ground lightning, which already makes him insanely fast- Elr0nd: COUNTER-ARGUMENT! He was totally aim-dodging! Alana: He also beat hundreds of gun-wielding soldiers without being hit once. Before being very experienced. Elr0nd: Bu- uh... Crap. Alana: Don't ever interrupt me. Elr0nd: Y-y-yes maam! Alana: Hmph! Not only that, but he reacted to Take-Mikuzachi's laser blasts. After they fired. So, without aim-dodging. Plus, keeping up with Hakumen and Terumi, who are at LEAST massively hypersonic. Elr0nd: Oh, so now we're using tiering? Alana: *smug grin* Yes. Yes we are. Elr0nd: Ugh. Fine, but I'm talking about his durability! And... he has durability! The guy laughed off being punched through concrete pillars, can tank hits from the likes of Hakumen, Nu-13, and Terumi, and fights on even when being impaled. by multiple blades. Not bad at all, I do say. Evan: *straightening glasses* Additionally, Ragna is an extremely skilled swordfighter, once again using the fact that he can match masters like Hakumen... Is this going to be a recurring theme? Alana: Give it a minute, it should fade out. Evan: If you say so. Alas, Ragna's intelligence is... nothing special, though he is smarter than your average person. When it comes to the mind, his greatest attribute is his willpower, which is part of what makes him so durable as well as allowing him to resist psychic attacks, at least somewhat. Alana: Don't forget Ars Magus. Yeah, the talking cat with a sword taught him how to use magic. why- Elr0nd: It's Blazblue. Just roll with it. I mean, he has fourth wall awareness too. Alana: WHY!?!?!? Zephyr: Anime logic, my dear. You'll get used to it. Zephyr: Alright. So, you're super-powered, you wanna go out and wreck some casuals. Here's the thing: Jubei had a little present for Ragna before he did. Elr0nd: Well, little in the form of a ripoff buster sword- *Zephyr smacks Elr0nd upside the head with the flat of his blade* OW! The hell was that for!? Zephyr: Never call the Blood-scythe a ripoff. If you call the Blood-scythe a ripoff, i will personally use it to cleave you in two. Elr0nd: Whatever, it even says in the bio that it's a buster sword! Zephyr: Gods, you are annoying. When it's charged, it turns into a scythe made of Seithr energy, and eats souls. Alana: I wanna scythe! Zephyr: No. You don't know how to use Seithr. Evan: Unlike Ragna, who has virtually mastered it. In fact, the majority of his specials use Seithr to steal the life force from his opponent, whomever that may be. This takes the form of bloodred Seithr appearing off of his sword. Alana: Well, that's true... Fine, but i'm getting a scythe! Anyway, Hell's fang is a seithr-powered punch, that he can follow up with a blast of Seithr that looks like the black beast's heads. Huh. Elr0nd: The Blood Scythe - Accurate name by the way - is Ragna leaping into the air and doing a circle swing with the... well... Blood-scythe - Okay, did no one think this would be confusing? Zephyr: You worry too much. Besides, he can do other moves like Dead spike. Elr0nd: Well, i mean, it would probably be better if it were an alive spike. *Zephyr facepalms at this idiotic statement* Evan: *sigh* The Belial Edge is a downwards stab that can hit multiple times, and the Guantlet hades has Ragna use two seithr-infused hammer fists. And if he wants to finish a fight quickly, He can use Not Over Yet, where he picks up his opponent and impales them with the blood-scythe. Zephyr: Now, those are cool and all, but I know you're all waiting to see what his super moves are! Well, let me put that to rest right now. Carnage scissors is my personal favorite, where he dashes forward, and shoots out two BIG seithr spikes. I mean, look at that down there! Ya don't get that with a buster sword! Elr0nd: You get knights of the round. Zephyr: Elr0nd, shut the fuck up before i demonstrate it. Elr0nd: Hmph. Everyone knows Devoured by Darkness is better. After all, it's the one that gets fanart. Zephyr: Son of a- Alana: Who cares? Black onslaught is easily the strongest! Zephyr: Okay, that is true, but it's his Astral Finish. You can't compare a super move to an ultra move! Evan: And technically, it would not matter, because the move requires the opponent to have roughly a third of their health or less left. Alana: So what? At least it's an insta-kill. I mean, look at it! It disintegrates your SOUL. Elr0nd: I could survive it. Alana: That's because you don't have a soul. Zephyr: Now, remember how Rachel magicked him a new arm? Yeah, that arm is made of the same stuff as the black beast, A.K.A. a supercondensed bunch of Seithr. It's like if you had a black hole for an arm. Only... you know... withOUT the whole "being sucked into your own arm" inconvenience that'd come with that. Evan: One could put it that way, yes. However, the advantages that come with it far outweigh the potential risks. With the Azure Grimoire, Ragna has access to an unending amount of Seithr, as the arm connects to the Boundary. Alana: The space between timelines. Elr0nd: Also, he has Seithokinesis. Evan: Stop making new words, please. Seithr '''Manipulation'. Something he can use freely for long-range attacks. Elr0nd: hm... Nah, I like Seithokinesis better. Apart from that, the grimoire can make Forcefields! Granted, someone like me could probably break them, but still. Zephyr: Stop feeding your ego. It takes a LOT to break that barrier. Besides, he can pull a Killer Instinct and combo break you with Burst Barrier. Elr0nd: Always fun. Alana: Time to wrap this up already. If Ragna is injured, he can activate Blood Kain IDEA, which doubles his attack power and Life stealing, at the cost of his own health slowly going down. So, he has to keep attacking if he wants to stay standing. Zephyr: On the plus side, it lasts longer the more injured Ragna is. So... there's that. But that pales in comparison to the Black Beast. And... Let's just say HOLY SHIT A GIANT EIGHT-HEADED SNAKE MONSTER! Elr0nd: Yeah, pretty much. This thing isn't TECHNICALLY Ragna, but he turns into it if he is seriously injured and angry. Like, Hulk levels of Angry. And if you could ever call something a life-wiper, it would be this thing. In fact, one of the endings in Continuum shift actually has that happen. Even though that kinda got retconned. Whatever, it's still possible! Alana: It also somehow exists outside of logic. I dunno how that's possible, but that means it's immune to conventional weapons, the four classic elements, and the two origins of light and dark. Only the magic element has been able to harm it, and even then it took six people to kill it. As in, the likes of Terumi, Hakumen, Jubei, and three others! Evan: The beast is certainly impressive, but it is also an uncontrollable force of destruction. However, If Ragna can tap into the Azure's true power, and control the Black Beast, he will gain Unlimited Mode, his most powerful form. the Blood-scythe will begin to flash red rapidly, and his body will erupt into a haze of purple and black flame. In this form, His attack power increases, his endurance multiplies tenfold, and his use of Seithr becomes unparalleled. Zephyr: Add on to that the fact that his HP doesn't go down over time, and ALL of his attacks steal life. Like, all of them. It's spooky. And he's even used this CANONICALLY, too! Elr0nd: See? SEE? I told you! He isn't perfect! He has weaknesses! Zephyr: Never said he didn't. But most of these are mental. He doesn't really have any physical weaknesses, but he certainly has a temper. Not to mention, he's reluctant to use the Grimoire's power, since it can, as we said, turn him into an uncontrollable life-wiping hydra demon. He also has a habit of having to pay for other's food. Alana: And last but not least, his most crippling weakness, the one thing that sets him back everywhere: He's a Lolicon. Zephyr: WHOA-WHOAH-WHOAH! That is NOT a weakness, and you know it! Alana: Reeeeeally? *suspicious glare* Zephyr: Hey, just because Fel made references to my internet search history means NOTHING. Alana: Mark my words, I will solve that thirteen-word password of yours someday. Zephyr: N-no you will not! Evan: And there they go again. Alas. However, no matter the weaknesses, one can count on Ragna the Bloodedge to pull through every time. Interlude Zephyr: alright, the combatants are set, and their strengths and weaknesses have both been analyzed. Elr0nd: So, what are we waiting for? It's time... Evan: One moment! After further consideration, we realized that Soma can indeed use more than one of each soul type at a time. the limit was merely a gameplay mechanic. But I digress. It is time... All: FOR A DEATH BATTLE!!!!!! DEATH BATTLE!! (Ronin-gai, 13th hierarchical city of Kagutsuchi - Early nighttime) Soma wasn't sure exactly how he got here. All he could remember was taking a warp point out of the abyss and winding up in a... city. the environment definitely looked Japanese, but that wasn't counting the townsfolk. He almost thought they were monsters, until he realized that everyone was wearing clothes that resembled a mix of magic and sci-fi. In fact, the place looked straight out of an anime. Go figure. Wherever he was, the town seemed to be in the middle of some sort of celebration, as the night sky was lighting up with fireworks. Making his way through the festive streets, he noticed several wanted posters showing an extremely ugly-faced man with wild white hair and a red jacket of some sort. The name listed was "Ragna the Bloodedge" and the bounty was... "60 TRILLION DOLLARS!?" Soma hastily covered his mouth with his hands upon realizing he had shouted that out loud. That kind of bounty... just who was this guy? Soma couldn't help but ponder the answer as he wandered through the streets. Unbeknownst to him, he would soon find an answer as he happened upon a fancy-looking Chinese restaurant. As if on queue, his stomach growled and he decided to take a look inside. He had barely stepped in when he heard a woman's shout of "pervert! Get out of my restaurant!" From the other side of a room, followed by a male voice shouting back, "fine, I'm going, dammit!". Soma peeked around... and saw the very man he had seen on the wanted poster just outside. Well, the face was less ugly, but other than that, he was the mirror image. Before the high schooler could say anything, the man known as Ragna the Bloodedge stormed out of the restaurant. For a moment, Soma was perfectly still, taking in the scene. Then, he realized that a criminal with a bounty large enough to by a country just walked past him. Without a second thought, he ran after Ragna. Speaking of which, Ragna was pissed off. "Damn waitress lady... running me out of here just because some damn homeless kid mooched off of me... Who does she think she is, anyway?" the Bloodedge grumbled to himself. A thought occurred to him to go visit Taokaka while he was in the area, until... "Hey! Bloodedge!" He turned around to see a white-haired teenager running out of the restaurant after him. The boy had a fancy black tunic and jeans on under a white trench coat, and was holding a long golden spear behind him, which crackled with electricity. Flourishing the spear, Dracula's Reincarnation shouted, "I don't know what you think you're doing, but someone with a bounty that big doesn't just walk around in broad daylight!". Ragna sighed in exasperation, and replied, "Kid. Listen. I am NOT in the mood for this, so scram." before turning and walking off, completely ignoring Soma. That is, until he sensed something behind him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBA5QmLcW-o Vaulting out of the way of a large beam of lightning, he whipped around, sword drawn. It seemed Soma had shot that blast from the tip of his spear, and the boy whirled it around as he took a fighting stance. Ragna growled and said, "Alright, you little shit. I'm gonna teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" "Come and get me, Ragna the Bloodedge." REBEL ONE! FIGHT! Both combatants charged forward and clashed their weapons, blood-scythe on Gungnir. However, the difference in strength was obvious, as Soma found himself being pushed back, shoes skidding along the ground. Breaking away from the conflict, he skirted around Ragna and thrust his spear downward... ...only for the Bloodedge to swing his blade behind him, blocking the strike with little effort. Turning again to face his opponent, Ragna swung at Soma's head, aiming to disconnect it from the teen's body, only for it to strike nothing, as Soma had vaulted 20 feet into the air. As Ragna looked up, the two stared down each other for a split second, before Soma thrust Gungnir downward and launched another bolt of lightning down at the criminal. He was more than a little impressed when Ragna dodged it completely. Leaping out of the way, Ragna hit the ground running and jumped at the wall, using the surface to propel himself into Soma, punching him in the gut and sending him flying into the very restaurant he just ran out of. Within seconds, the building began shaking, and the people inside ran out screaming as it collapsed into a pile of rubble. By this point, any onlookers had fled, realizing by this point that they were looking at an infamous criminal. Satisfied with his apparent victory, Ragna slowly walked towards the pile of rubble, and grunted, "what a disappointment," before turning his back and walking off... before he heard something behind him. He barely had time to turn around before the boy he had just buried burst out of the rubble, now sporting a pair of glowing metal gauntlets. With renewed Vigor, Soma vaulted out of the ruins and once again charged Ragna. With the fight on once again, Ragna unleashed a heavy overhead swing with the blood-scythe, as Soma dashed right in front of his opponent. The heavy blade would have cut the high schooler in two... had he not thrust his fist up and STOPPED THE BLADE with his palm. The resulting shockwave obliterated the street around them, destroying the stone road and breaking any glass that happened to be anywhere near them. Ragna's eyes widened in surprise, and he shouted in pain as Soma unleashed a barrage of hundreds of punches on his opponent, finishing with a magic-infused uppercut that launched the Bloodedge into the air. Before he could hit the ground again, Soma again leapt into the air and delivered a powerful kick to the gut that sent Ragna plummeting into the ground hard enough to leave a crater. Ragna got up, feeling a trickle of blood run down his head from the impacts, and looked up just in time to see Soma charging down with his fists outstretched, but he was ready for it this time. This time, he performed an agile backflip out of the impact zone just before receiving another blow, and slammed his blade down on Soma. The blast obscured the area around the two with dust, and Ragna coughed slightly as he breathed it in, but he shook it off and swung blood-scythe around to clear the air. What he was met with was a bomb where Soma was staggered just moments before. Quickly throwing off his confusion, Ragna jumped backward as the bomb exploded, sliding him back a few feet. Catching sight of a silhouette in the dust and smoke, he swung horizontally, only to miss completely. Just after, another explosion rocked him backwards, and he staggered as he swung around wildly, but to no avail. Growing angry, he slammed his blade on the ground, creating a shockwave that cleared the area and revealed his opponent. Soma's grin had returned, as three small red balls of flame had began to materialize around him. Activating his Flame Demon soul, he waved his hand in an arc, and those balls of flame charged at Ragna... Only for him to avoid them with ease. Ragna could tell that his foe was getting angrier, and decided to use that to his advantage. Soma began firing more and more fireballs, his mana being replenished by the chaos ring on his right hand, but none of his attacks were making any mark. Ragna even managed to throw in a taunt as he avoided the barrage of flame, ticking Soma off further. Yelling in rage, he activated his Balore soul and rushed Ragna. The Bloodedge was almost surprised as the High schooler began throwing punch after punch, each impact causing an explosion against the Blood-Scythe. Ragna actually found himself being pushed back as each punch connected. However, that was about to end. Backing into a wall, Ragna moved his head to the right, just in time as Soma's Kaiser Knuckles combined with his Balore soul obliterated the building where Ragna was just moments before. Ragna took this opportunity to skirt around Soma and unleash his own punch, right into Soma's spine. Needless to say, that should have shattered half the bones in the boy's body. That is, if he hadn't turned around and thrust his hand out, creating a blue barrier that Ragna's fist clashed harmlessly against. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGyWF9tt6FM In shock, Ragna stepped back, and swung his blade at the shield, once again to no effect. This process repeated several times, until both combatants decided they had enough. Soma quickly swapped out his Kaiser Knuckles for a weapon more suited to his opponent, pulling out a silvery katana with a deadly-looking edge and an aura of bloodlust around it. Holding up the Muramasa, he stared down Ragna. Then, they moved. Any onlookers would have only seen a blur as Ragna began furiously defending from Soma's attacks, swinging the Blood-scythe to block the majority and nimbly avoiding the rest, taunting, "Not bad, kid, but you'll have to try harder than that!". That was his big mistake. In his overconfidence, Ragna felt a sliver of pain on the side of his cheek, followed by cuts and gashes appearing all over his body as Soma infused Mana into the Muramasa and began slashing MUCH faster than he had before. Ragna quickly pulled away, and decided to switch strategies. Tapping into his Azure Grimoire, Ragna waved his hand, and a blast of purple energy rocketed out of it, charging toward Soma. His response? Counter with a fireball. In midair, the Fire and Seithr collided, cancelling each other out with a violent explosion. Before Soma could move, his vision caught a flash of movement above him, and he looked up to see Ragna falling towards him. With a shout of "BELIAL EDGE!", Ragna stabbed downwards, blade aimed right at Soma's head, but his effort was to no avail, as a nimble dodge meant the Blood-scythe became firmly planted in the ground. Before Ragna could pull it out, he felt something heavy connect with his face, and went tumbling into a wall, away from his precious weapon. Rubbing the side of his face, he staggered to his feet and angrily shouted, "Oh, so that's how you wanna play it, huh!?" at Soma, who was now holding a giant sword, glowing with blue light and dwarfing the Blood-scythe in size. In fact, it was larger than Ragna was tall, yet Soma was holding it in one hand as easily as Ragna held his own weapon. Stepping between the Bloodedge and his weapon, Dracula's reincarnation grinned in anticipation as he raised the Claimh Solais. The boy charged Ragna, with the intent of cutting him in two, but to his surprise, Ragna CAUGHT the blade with his right arm, forcing it away and punching Soma in the face. But this time was different. This time, Ragna infused seithr into his fist with a shout of "Hell's FANG!", and sent Soma tumbling. Ragna then took this opportunity to lift the Claimh Solais from the ground where Soma had dropped it. As Soma got to his feet, he realized that something was... off. He felt weaker, like he was missing something. Shaking off the feeling, he activated his flame demon soul... Nothing happened. He tried again. Still, nothing happened. Soma almost jumped in surprise, and shouted, "Wh-what did you do to my flame demon soul!?" at the advancing criminal, who merely laughed and replied, "So you're using souls to power your attacks, huh, kid? Neat trick. But here's the thing." Brandishing the stolen weapon, he said, "I eat souls!". Needless to say, Soma was beginning to see why this guy had such a bounty on him. Thinking to himself, If I don't do something fast, he's gonna kill me. I'll have to play this smarter. When Soma glanced to his side, he saw the blood-scythe, still implanted in the ground. Seeing as Ragna had just taken his weapon, Soma decided to return the favor. Ragna's expression quickly turned from amusement to anger as he saw Soma lift HIS blood-scythe from the ground and brandish it at him. "Hey! Drop the sword!", Ragna shouted in anger, only for Soma to rush him, swinging in a style very similar to Ragna's. In response, the Bloodedge raised the Claimh Solais, and the two were at it again. With a wild swing, Soma aimed to behead his opponent, only for said opponent to awkwardly raise his greatsword to block it. While Soma was staggered, Ragna lifted the Solais in an overhead slash, but Soma stepped back just in time, Raising the Blood-scythe to block it. The resulting impact left both swordsmen in a crater that was once the entrance to a restaurant, but Soma once again felt Ragna overpowering him, even more so with the giant blade. Tapping into another one of his souls, specifically that of the appropriately named chronomage, he focused, and... Time stopped. (stop music) Everything was gray. The entire world had gone devoid of color... except for Soma, who jumped back and sat down, taking a few deep breaths. In the short time that he had, he stood back up and approached Ragna with the blood scythe... Driving it through the bloodedge's chest and leaving it there. He took a few steps back, and... time resumed. (Continue music) Ragna let out yell of both surprise and agony. The kid had vanished, and he had somehow been impaled on his own blade. Dropping the holy greatsword, he cried out in pain as he pulled the blade from his chest, then collapsed to his knees, clutching the blood-scythe's handle for support. As Soma slowly approached him, reclaiming his sword along the way, he smirked and said, "Heh. That was easy." "What... did you do... you little... brat!?" "Just a little time stopping here and there, nothing major. But I don't think that's your biggest worry right now." Soma raised the Claim Solais high, and brought it down on Ragna's head. Or, he would have, had Ragna not suddenly moved MUCH faster than he had been. Infusing the blood-scythe with Seithr, Ragna appeared behind Soma, leaving nothing but dust where he once was, and said, "You think that'll stop me!? Compared to what i've been through, that's NOTHING!". Before Soma even knew what was happening, the Bloodedge dealt out a fierce Seithr-powered uppercut with a furious shout of "INFERNO DIVIDER!". Soma found himself in midair from the blast, now short the chronomage soul, and with a nasty gash across his back. The next thing he saw was Ragna's boot slamming into his face, sending him flying into the city, far FAR away from the spot where they had been fighting. (Kagutsuchi port. play casual music.) There may have been a festival going on in Ronin-gai, but that didn't mean there wasn't work to be done elsewhere. As busy workers docked cargo onto an airship, and equally-occupied civilians walked to and from their homes and destinations, the entire area was oblivious to the fact that there was a fight going on elsewhere. Well, oblivious until a young boy looked skywards, and began pointing excitedly. "mommy, mommy! Look, it's a shooting star!" The older woman looked up where her child was pointing, and saw a glowing light shooting across the sky. It seemed so close... in fact, it looked like it was headed right towards them! Quickly pulling her boy back, the pair barely avoided being the landing spot for, what on closer inspection, appeared to be a white-haired teenager, flying through the air (well, falling, actually) fast enough to light him on fire. Everyone anywhere near the impact zone QUICKLY backed out of it, as Soma hit the ground with a fiery THUD. As he staggered to his feet, clearly with some fight taken out of him, he looked around and ran to the wide-eyed worker ten feet in front of him. "Listen! You need to get everyone out of here. I dunno if you guys know the name "Ragna the Bloodedge, but-" His sentence was cut short as the man stammered, "R-ragna!? you mean, he's coming HERE!?". Soma nodded in response, and the man picked up a megaphone and shouted into it, "Attention workers and civilians! Ragna the bloodedge is headed this way now! Please evacuate the area!". This quickly spurred everyone who heard it into action, as they began hurrying away, the workers dropping the boxes they had been carrying. One man even ran off screaming in terror. With that out of the way, Soma took a deep breath, tapping into his Giant Worm soul to recover his HP. and then, as his injuries slowly regenerated, he saw the Bloodedge hopping from rooftop to rooftop, hot on Soma's heels. REBEL TWO! FIGHT! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6EFECD7Ex0 Getting to his feet, Soma activated several of his souls at once, and unleashed a barrage of varied attacks skyward at his opponent. From Ragna's point of view, he saw Meteors, Thrown katanas, bladed cards, and even a swarm of insects(?) headed his way. As he ran and leapt towards Soma, dodging and deflecting attacks along the way. Meteors were swatted aside by the Blood-scythe. Cards and Katanas were cut in two. Even the swarm, which turned out to be of locusts, was obliterated by a blast of Seithr. By the time Ragna leapt onto the closest rooftop, Soma decided to use something heavier. Out of seemingly nowhere, he pulled out a rocked launcher and pointed at his opponent. As Ragna leapt, he fired, and the bloodedge had no way to change his momentum in time to avoid the shot, and the rocket burst in a fiery explosion upon contact. Soma knew by this point that Ragna was tougher than that, and sure enough, he saw his opponent plummeting to the ground, seemingly unharmed. Soma quickly launched another one, only for Ragna to angle his blade in JUST the right spot that the rocket slid along it and into the wall behind him. Before Soma could reload, Ragna was right in front of him, and the RPG was cut in two. Barely avoiding a similar fate, Soma leapt away and summoned a pair of axes, tossing them at Ragna. Cutting them down, Ragna dashed at Soma and swung horizontally, only for Soma to vault over it and launch out another bladed card, cutting the bloodedge across the cheek. However, Ragna didn't even react, and Soma found the flat of Ragna's sword slam into his back, knocking him into the railguard. As he saw the clouds below him, it occurred to him that he was VERY lucky he landed where he did. He did NOT want to see how far it was to the bottom. Sensing the raised blade behind him, he rolled to the side as the spot where he had been knocked was destroyed, a chuck of the rail falling into the abyss below. As Ragna turned toward the boy, he saw Soma pulling out a gun of all things. Ragna couldn't stifle a laugh at this point, and taunted, "A gun? Really. I'm impressed, I think i've found a new level of stupid.". In response? Soma began firing rapidly, each bullet streaking toward its target only for a rapid swing to knock it out of its trajectory. And without warning, Ragna was suddenly in front of Soma, a forceful wind the only sign he had moved. And with that. "CARNAGE... SCISSORS!" Out of nowhere, a burst of bloodred energy launched Soma into the air, then show out two nasty points, both striking the boy with two slashes of Seithr, launching him out into open air. The moment Soma recovered, he noticed where he was, and quickly tapped into his Bat Company soul, shrinking and changing shape until he was a white bat, which frantically flew to safe ground. Ragna was momentarily taken aback by this sudden transformation, but quickly recovered and began firing blasts of Seithr at the small target. As a bat, Soma barely managed to avoid the projectiles, and returned to human form as soon as he landed on safe ground. Which happened to be an airship. Ragna quickly ran around the walkway to his opponent, and shouted, "DEAD SPIKE!" catching Soma off guard when the head of some sort of monster erupted from the ground and caught him in its jaws. Soma cried out in pain, as he struggled to free himself, and he could feel his bat company soul draining away. In an effort to free himself, he summoned a hand grenade and thrust it into the beast's mouth, which promptly burst, destroying the mass of Seithr and catapulting Soma into a wooden crate, which shattered, revealing itself to be full of... explosives. He didn't have time to dwell on this, however, as Ragna had already boarded the ship after him. Soma quickly rolled out of the way as Ragna cut down the spot where he was just sitting, and stood up, pointing a gun two inches from Ragna's head and firing. To his surprise (Oh, let's face it, Ragna's speed isn't surprising anymore), Ragna STILL managed to dodge it, sweeping Soma off his feet with a low kick and stabbing downward at him, failing only because of a quick Final Guard. He didn't even have time to react as a fired katana barely missed colliding with his face. Quickly backflipping away, Ragna Dealt another swing at his opponent, only for it to be caught, though not by Soma's hands. Behind Soma was the upper half of a large Golem, its body made of a dull-brown rock and its eyes glowing menacingly. with a roar, the Golem outstretched its fists... ...Only for a concentrated blast of Seithr to shatter it to pieces. Soma quickly dashed back and pulled out what most considered his most powerful weapon, A long pole made out of bones connected to a skull which held a large, menacingly-curved blade. Seeing this, Ragna began focusing into his blade... Twirling the scythe formerly owned by the grim reaper, Soma pointed it at Ragna and taunted, "How ya like me now, Mr. Grim Reaper? You better give up now, because you clearly aren't equipped to-" And then Ragna's sword turned into a scythe. "Oh." "Keep talkin', kid. Maybe someday i'll listen." The port lit up with sparks as the two scythes clashed, neither fighter giving up their attack. Every time Soma tried to come in for a slash, Ragna expertly parried the strike with a twirl. In contrast, Ragna just couldn't manage a hit on his smaller, lighter opponent. Striking downward with all his might, Ragna pressed his entire strength against Soma, who seemed to be cracking under the pressure, but in return, Soma only smirked, quickly shooting out a hand at the open crate. A wave of fire leapt out of his hand and shot along the airship into the explosives. And before either the boodedge or the reincarnation could do anything... they did exactly what their name would suggest. (stop music) The resulting blast was visible from far outside Kagutsuchi. As for the area a little closer to home? The port had been reduced to a fiery wreck of destruction. Though the residents there had fled in terror, two people still remained. One was Ragna the bloodedge, kneeling on the ground and clutching the blood-scythe for support. The other was Soma Cruz, a trickle of blood running down his head. As Soma weakly stood up, He chuckled. "Heh. Guess... that was a bad idea, huh?" Ragna stood up as well, and Soma could see the veins popping on anger on his forehead. "Goddamn you. You just went way too far, kid." "Well, you weren't exactly holding back yoursel- GAH!" Soma's words were cut short when he felt Ragna stab his blade right through his heart, and the boy cried out in agony. Releasing the blood-scythe, Ragna turned it back into its sword form and sheathed it as he watched Dracula's reincarnation collapse to the ground, bleeding profusely, and added ,"It's like I said, kid. A lesson you'll never forget.". And with that, he turned and walked off, leaving the body to burn. "Id...Idiot..." Ragna whipped around, a mixture of surprise and anger on his face. What he was met with, floating above the ground, was Soma Cruz. But his face pulsed with rage, his eyes had turned yellow, and black energy was orbiting him. With a yell, Soma's voice deepened slightly, and that black energy took the form of dozens- no, HUNDREDS of jet-black souls surging out of Soma's body. Ragna actually took an apprehensive step back as Soma touched down and glared at him, hair disheveled. "So, You want to see how far I can go, hm? Well, how about I give you a taste of my REAL POWER!?" Soma Reached into hammerspace and pulled out a longsword, the blade of which was glowing a bright neon green. As he brought the blade to his side, Ragna felt a heavy wind briefly emanating from it, nearly powerful enough to knock him off his feet. In response, Ragna held up his left arm. “Restriction 666 released, Dimensional Interference Field Deployed! Now Engaging The Idea Engine! BlazBlue, Activate!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9D-YI7B1QU REBEL THREE! FIGHT! A wave of darkness similar to Soma’s own erupted from the Bloodedge, as the slot on the back of his hand opened. Both the jewel in the center and the fighter’s eyes were glowing red, leaving trails with the slightest movement. Ragna’s Blood Kain IDEA was in effect. To any onlookers, both fighters vanished without a trace, only for a resulting series of explosions to level the buildings around them. The Dark lord and the Bloodedge clashed again and again, Valmanway on Blood-scythe, and it seemed that Ragna’s Blood kain was holding its own against Soma’s new power. At the end of the street, the two pulled away from each other, catching their breath for a moment before they were back at it again. Ragna Dashed forward with a Hell’s fang, only for Soma to Catch the punch in his hand. The dark lord lifted Ragna above his head, then threw him into a streetlight, which snapped under the force of the outlaw being thrown into it. Soma flew forward to aim a stab at Ragna, who recovered just in time to Swing the Blood-scythe upward to parry it. The instant Ragna’s feet touched the ground, He immediately had to move again to avoid being sliced into bits by the giant, bladed YoYo that Soma had swung at him. Ragna had seen some ridiculous weapons in his time, but he had to admit. That one was new. Soma, laughing maniacally, Swung the bladed disc at Ragna again, Slicing apart whatever happened to be in its way. Twice, Ragna parried the Blow, and the third time, he tossed the Blood-scythe up in the air and CAUGHT the weapon in his hands. As the massive sword came down, it immediately severed the rope holding the blades to the Dark Lord’s hand, and Ragna tossed the disc at his foe before picking up his blade again. Soma batted the disc aside, irritated with the persistence of his opponent. As it was, he doubted the bloodedge would last much longer, and remained calm. Ragna, dashing at his opponent, Shifted his blade into its scythe form, then dealt a spinning leap at him, turning his own body into a wheel of blades. Soma, unfazed, began swinging the Valmanway, and Each of Ragna’s swings was stopped by a blade of wind. In the moment that the two were mere inches away, Soma swung at just the perfect time. Ragna spun right past him, blood spurting from the spinning outlaw. When Ragna finally hit the ground, he staggered to his feet, blood dripping from the numerous gashes across his chest. Even through the wounds, Ragna still raised his giant scythe to fight… And then his blood kain faded. “Oh shi-” Soma was upon him in the blink of an eye, Stabbing him straight through the heart. Ragna bent double in pain, coughing blood onto the Dark Lord’s coat. When the Vampire removed the Valmanway, Ragna collapsed on the ground, motionless. Soma laughed again as he rose high up into the air, high above the city. “This will end you for good! DEMONIC MEGIDDO!” Ragna couldn’t muster the energy to stand, only lift his head up. What he was met with was an enormous comet, bloodred and ablaze heading toward him. Even if he could stand, he couldn’t lift the blood-scythe or get out of the way. And besides, Soma was just too much for him. All that the bloodedge could do was lay there, accepting his fate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msk_lmDRFdw “Dammit… after all I’ve done… I lost to a kid like that...? Why…” Ragna closed his eyes, expecting the meteor to overtake him any second. His vision glowed white, which he could only believe was the demonic megiddo’s flames. But then… “Tsk tsk, bloodedge. I thought you were stronger than that.” He saw a young girl carrying an umbrella, her blonde hair tied into pigtails and her body clothed in an elegant dress. The vampiress, Rachel Alucard, was standing before him, a slight smirk of disapproval on her face. The vision changed to a woman clad in a revealing outfit, with Cat ears on her head and wide grin. Taokaka, getting right up in his face as always, smiled wider. “Come on, good guy! Get up! Who’s gonna feed me if you’re gone?” His sight changed over and over again. A blonde girl wielding two guns and a beret, a curvaceous nurse with long black hair, a giant beast of a man with red skin and glasses. Finally, Ragna saw none other than Jin Kisaragi. “Going to lose to this whelp, brother? And here I thought you were stronger than that!” Ragna gripped the blood-scythe tighter. “I… I won’t lose here… I can’t lose here!” With a herculean effort, he stood up, standing against the meteor. “There’s too much riding on this! I’m not going to lose to some punk like you!” As Ragna braced for impact, the Azure Grimoire opened, its power coursing through the bloodedge’s veins. Soma, seeing none of this, laughed at the sight of the Megiddo descending. And then he felt it. The tremendous power from beneath the gargantuan meteor as Ragna held out both hands and STOPPED IT AGAINST THE GROUND. A wave of Seithr raced off of him as his skin and clothes turned pitch black, a dark aura enveloping him and a pair of black wings erupting from his back. Ragna had tapped into the black beast’s power, and all bets were off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpdrQNeeypA Soma panicked, flying toward the meteor, Fists ablaze. Before he could even get close, He heard a deafening explosion as the Demonic Megiddo exploded from the force of Ragna’s attack. He barely had time to see the black form flying at him before his left side erupted in Pain. Ragna, scythe in hand, had severed the vampire’s arm, blood flying from the wound. The pain caused Soma to lose control of his flight, and the force of impact launched him into the air. The bloodedge wouldn’t stop there. Ragna, flying at immense speeds, dealt one hit after another, Each strike leaving a gash in Soma’s body. One eye, an arm, and a leg missing by the end, the wounded vampire finally lost his momentum, falling back toward Kagutsuchi. As he fell, seeing the seithr-powered beast below him, his inner darkness began fading, draining away with his blood. He thought of Julius, of Arikado, of Yoko, of Mina… “Sorry… everyone…" The moment before Soma hit the ground, Ragna pulled back his fist, swinging it forward to meet him. Seithr erupted around the two as Soma felt his body disintegrating. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt that bad. When the seithr cleared, only Ragna was left in the ruins of what was once a city square. He was alive. Bloody, beaten, but alive. On the other hand, there was nothing left of his opponent, his body having been absorbed into the Azure Grimoire. “RAGNA THE BLOODEDGE, HALT!” Ragna turned around, casting his eyes on the squadron of soldiers in front of him, guns trained. He gave an exasperated sigh and raised the blood-scythe again. But hey, he was always known for bad luck anyways. ASTRAL FINISH! Results Zephyr: Damn, Ragna! Wana use some of that on Terumi? Evan: This match was closer than It may appear. Both are extremely powerful fighters, known for defeating opponents far above their level. Alana: And they weren’t exactly far off from each other either. Soma and Ragna’s physical strength is about equal, and Soma had the edge in intelligence and versatility. However, Ragna’s MASSIVE speed and durability advantage won out in the end. Elr0nd: Well, yeah. We’re comparing Breaking the sound barrier and dodging lightning to Mach 1400 at the slowest! Evan: In addition, while Both are certainly durable in their own right, Ragna has faced far worse and fought through it, while Soma’s durability is comparatively quite low. Zephyr: While that’s all well and good, there was one other factor that cemented Ragna’s victory above everything else: The Azure Grimoire. Alana: Where Soma relied on souls to attack, Ragna was capable of absorbing them with his drive, meaning that while Ragna would only grow stronger during the fight, Soma would get weaker and lose his abilities. Elr0nd: And let’s not forget the fact that Ragna’s transformations are WAY stronger than Soma’s dark lord. The likes of a giant meteor is nothing compared to Take-Mikazuchi. Evan: Overall, while Soma was certainly able to keep up with Ragna at the start of the fight, the gap in power between the two would only grow as Ragna absorbed Soma’s arsenal. Zephyr: I guess Ragna just had the edge in this battle. Evan: The winner is Ragna the Bloodedge. Category:ZephyrosOmega Category:Blazblue vs Castlevania Characters Category:Completed What-If? Death Battles Category:What-If? Death Battles Category:'Protagonist' themed Death Battle Category:Death Battles with Music Category:Death Battles with a returning DBX combatant Category:Death Battles with a Returning OMM Combatant Category:Sword Duel Category:"Male vs Male" Themed Death Battles Category:'Darkness' themed Death Battles Category:'Demon vs Demon' Themed Death Battles